Residents near the permanently closed dumpsite in Barangay Candau-ay have expressed their gratitude to the Dumaguete City government for ending a burden they have endured for decades.
“We are very thankful for our 2021 petition and to Mayor Remollo for purchasing land in Camanjac, now known as the MRF [material recovery facility]. The garbage is no longer here,” said Angelita Lejarso, 69, a resident of Barangay Candau-ay.
Angelita and her family have lived in the area for 32 years, earning a living by selling food from a small karinderya in front of the old dumpsite.
According to Angelita, three years after the permanent closure of the Candau-ay dumpsite, residents are experiencing numerous positive effects.
“Many people died because of this dumpsite, especially those with weak immune systems who suffered from tuberculosis, asthma and other respiratory problems,” she added.
Former scavenger Rosalie Tambiga, 48, said that after the permanent closure of the dumpsite, the Dumaguete government provided work for them at the MRF.
Although there were some delays, they were offered relief goods or “ayuda,” especially during the height of the pandemic.
“The government gave us jobs, but I didn’t stay long because I have a child studying in Balugo. However, my colleagues continued working there,” Rosalie said.
Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo has approved the safe closure and rehabilitation of the more than 50-year-old Candau-ay dumpsite after it has caused alarm among local government officials due to the overflowing garbage, posing a risk to the health and well-being of the residents.
Records show that from January to December 2017, a total of 12,804 trips of garbage trucks dumped some 65,620 cubic meters of waste from government, private establishments and schools in Candau-ay except those from private hospitals and clinics that are considered pathogenic, toxic and hazardous.
The local government then allotted P8 million for the closure and rehabilitation of the Candau-ay open dumpsite.
This closure helped solve the decades-long problem of managing garbage disposal in accordance with Republic Act 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
The city government has continued the rehabilitation of the closed dumpsite in Barangay Candau-ay, consistent with the duly approved Safe Closure and Rehabilitation Plan by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Remollo implemented the closure of the city dumpsite in March 2021, after which the site’s rehabilitation started so it can be used for other public purposes.
It has been observed that the mountain of garbage from the old dumpsite has already started to shrink and will become compact.
Currently, all collected garbage is processed at the MRF where the garbage sorters will dispose of the biodegradable waste in a compost pit or turn them into fertilizer.
The recyclable materials (plastic, glass, cans, cartons, bottles, etc.) are sold to local buyers through public bidding and the residual waste is kept at the Residual Containment Area for disposal at the sanitary landfill.
Meanwhile, pyrolysis machines and Plastic Recycling Equipment can convert collected solid waste into useful byproducts such as pavers, hollow blocks, and other construction materials for infrastructure projects as well as plastic waste to chair.
Engineer Paquito D. Melicor Jr., regional executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 7, said that DENR fully supports the city government’s project.
“The benefit of this initiative is not only the proper segregation of garbage from the community but also the promotion of cleanliness and the prevention of diseases that could harm people living near the dumpsite,” he said. (PIA-Negros Oriental)